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It’s the end of 1999 and I am proud to have been part of the contingency planning industry’s growth over the last decade. I find myself in the company of many others in the industry who have survived and thrived in this often difficult field. On the other hand, I’ve seen many companies come and go in the past decade. I’ve watched as they’ve struggled to keep up with the many changes - and was sorry when they failed. Over the past 12 years, a lot of disasters have occurred. Some that stand out in my mind are: the San Francisco earthquake, Hurricane Andrew, the bombing in Oklahoma City and the tornadoes in the area, an earthquake in Mexico City, the Los Angeles riots, the flooding in the midwest in 1993 and let’s not forget the earthquake this past year in Tapei, Taiwan. There are numerous others that have occurred, and more that happen each week. And as always, DRJ will be there to provide the coverage. I began publishing this magazine in 1987. Since then it has grown from a 22 page publication to the 100+ page volume we have now. Through all the years, we’ve had many other changes, but a few things have stayed the same. We still provide coverage of the most up-to-date topics in the industry, and we provide this coverage without favoring any particular product, service or company. Our goal has always been to put the information out for our readers and let you decide which product or service to try. Another thing we have always done is keep our advertising rates low. I feel this gives new companies a chance to get the word out about themselves. In that way, we are helping to promote the growth of the industry. DRJ began hosting conferences in 1988. The growth with these is also very evident. The first few conferences were two and half days in length; today we’ve expanded to four days, plus Saturday courses with three breakfasts, three lunches and usually two or three hospitalities. Our recent conference in Orlando had over 1,200 contingency planners, including attendees, speakers and vendors who gathered to take part in the learning opportunities. On Tuesday morning, the hotel’s general manager, Mel Bettcher, addressed the attendees on the hotel’s emergency plans. He explained that the grand ballroom was structurally sound for hurricane-strength winds. This area was designated as the evacuation site, if it should be needed (which it wasn’t). Also, Mr. Bettcher explained that the hotel had back-up power generator, a dual-feed electrical system and its own water supply. Also, the hotel had stocked extra bottled water, food and paper products. The hotel staff was housed on the property to maintain minimal operations. We at DRJ would like to again thank Comdisco for their extra efforts at the show. To read more on our most recent conference in Orlando, see page 38.The next conference will be March 19-22 in San Diego, Calif. It will be a great bargain! The fee includes attendance at all general sessions, breakout sessions, workshops, entry to the exhibition hall, three lunches and breakfasts, admission to all hospitalities and receptions, full conference proceedings and much more. Plus, we’re offering a discount of $50 for the next San Diego conference if registered by December 31, 1999. For more details on this exciting show, see pages 60-65. DRJ will have another show September 10 - 13, 2000 in Orlando, Florida at the Coronado Springs Resort. This hotel is a Disney property and is very well suited to handle a large amount of attendees. I hope to see you at one of our future conferences! If you ever have any questions or comments, please contact me. I would love to hear from you.
––– Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
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